A Muddy Review of the Vittoria Cross XL Pro CX Tire

Updated on April 28, 2015

Getting The Right CX Tire For Muddy Conditions

There comes a time in every cyclocross season where you feel like it's rained consistently for the last week or more and your current mixed or dry conditions cx tires you know will send you squirming into corners at your next race. That's when you bring out the 'big guns'. And by big guns I mean your mud weaponry.

Aimed at cx racing in the mud, the Vittoria Cross XL pro is a newcomer to the marketplace. Italian tire powerhouse Vittoria rarely bring out a new tire so when they do there's bound to be some good reasoning behind it so here's a review of my experience.

What's Your Favourite Cyclocross Tire For Muddy Conditions?

A Rare Occassion- Vittoria Bring Out A Brand New Tire

It’s rare for Vittoria to bring out new tires as much of their tire line-up has been pretty stable for years so the edition of a new tire to their range was always going to catch my attention as their range seems exceptionally well thought through and after previous winters of sliding around I thought it will be a step forward for my racing. For the last few years I have loved riding Challenge Grifo tires but having seen these selling for half the price of a set of Challenge Limus or Fango tires despite a similar specification I thought it was a good opportunity to change.

A CX Tire for the Mud?

The tread pattern of the Vittoria Cross XL Pro

Vittoria XL Pro Tread Pattern and Grip

At first glance in some of the pictures I'd seen I thought the tread pattern looked very similar to a Clement PDX or Dugast Rhino tread pattern but on arrival the tread seems a lot more aggressive. They have the predominant central line of tread to the Clement and Dugast but the tread seems a little more spread out to allow better mud clearance.

On the trails and tracks I found the Vittoria Cross XL Pro offered fantastic grip in soft conditions. They felt at home when I headed the few hundred metres from home and turned off onto the old colliery slack heaps which at present look like winter has come early. At this time of year the trails are usually hard-packed but at present they resemble a quagmire. When cornering in the mud I genuinely feel I have some control and during quick accelerations I didn’t feel like the wheels were simply going to spin out beneath me.

On gravel and on hard-packed trails their performance is adequate without being confidence inspiring. I wouldn’t class them as an all-around performance tire but they can do a job when needed in all conditions. These tires excel in the mud and for me that’s when I would use them as I have other tires I fit for early season racing.

As I rolled out of my house there was definitely more tire squirm on the road than I’ve previously experienced so I’ll certainly keep to the woods and softer conditions for riding. It’s very clear than whilst these tires are awesome in the mud, I will steer clear of doing many road miles on them.

Recommended pressure range is a pretty standard 45-90 psi. The fit was pretty tight on my trusty Mavic Ksyrium rims; although that gives me some reassurance I will potentially be able to continue rolling on the rim for short periods if I do puncture whilst racing.

Tire Longevity and Puncture Resistance

As a performance driven cyclocross tire I wouldn’t expect these tires to last long if I’m using them for anything but racing and cross country rides. Road use will certainly have me needing to replace them and they certainly wouldn’t be a good option for commuting unless your ride to work is over glutinous farmers fields.

The Cross XL Pro features Vittoria’s PRB 2.0 puncture protection. In two weeks of use I haven’t experienced a puncture but having some form of resistance is always going to be a bonus when you could find yourself in the middle of nowhere whilst out training.

Tire Weight and Size Options

Vittoria offers two sizes for the XL Pro: A UCI regulation compliant 31mm width and also a 33mm width. I’ve been riding on the 33mm version as in honesty I’m happy to finish mid-pack in local league events- It doesn’t make me any less demanding in terms of performance but I felt the extra size of the 33mm XL Pro would help give me a little more control on local courses which have an insanely high number of vicious tree roots which I’ve often had the feeling I’ve been bouncing off.

Weight for my 33mm version is 440g per tire; the 31mm version tips the scales at 10g lighter. These weights seem pretty standard for a performance cyclocross tire and it’s that all important mud traction these give which is their priority, not their light weight.

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The CyclingFitness Verdict

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4 stars for Vittoria Cross XL Pro

The Verdict- The CyclingFitness Review

The XL Pro is a great cyclocross racing tire for when conditions get muddy. They offer excellent grip and reassuring cornering at a price which won’t break the bank compared to other manufacturers too. An additional bonus for riders is the potential for these tires to be used with tubeless systems thanks to Vittoria’s TNT (Tubes- No Tubes) technology.

The only real downside is their weight alongside competitor tires like the 100 gram lighter Clement PDX or Michelin Mud 2. Their weight is the only factor which lets the tire down against their competition.

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